Hacienda Tourism, Women's Work and Local Transformations. The Case of Artisanal Workshops of the Haciendas Foundation of the Mayan World

Abstract

Hacienda tourism is a form of cultural tourism mainly promoted by business groups. One of these groups upon which this article is focused, the Fundación Haciendas del Mundo Maya is responsible for a community development program. As part of their project, Fundación Haciendas del Mundo Maya has created artisanal workshops, generating employment opportunities for women living in the henequen zone of Yucatán and Campeche, Our goal is to examine characteristics of this production model, its origins, social implications and internal contradictions. We conclude that despite the achievements in economic participation and empowerment by women participants, the scheme of craft production reproduces a sociocultural system of domination and hinders the achievement of autonomy as well as limits artisans control over the mechanisms of production and decision-making.